Tales of the Old West (2 parts available)

A boy travels the Oregon Trail with his carrot-munching dog in search of coyotes. The dog runs off ahead and the boy meets a variety of Western pioneers (these will be played by volunteers from the audience) They will depict a gold prospector, a Native American, a fur hunter, and a pioneer farmer. In each encounter, the boy learns about the life style, foods, skills, and clothing of the people he meets.
Finally he hears his dog in the distance among the call of coyotes. When he reaches him, he finds that his dog has joined up with a pack of coyotes. He lures his dog away with a carrot.
The program ends with a film about the settlers and culture of our Old West. I will include footage from my yearly trips to Durango, Colorado.

Tales from the Old West (part 2)

A family that is uprooted by a tornado in the 1800’s takes to the trail in a covered wagon to claim farmland in the unsettled wild west. Amidst there fears of starvation and ruin, they meet a variety of western settlers that help them out in exchange for their labors: a farmer gives them food and seedlings, a gold prospector teaches them how to pan for gold, a cowboy rewards them with a milk cow, and an Indian gives them a rug for their new home in exchange for saving a young brave. The family cat, missing since the tornado, turns up later in the wagon amidst a pile of mouse-tails. There is extensive use of volunteers, costumes, and remote sound effects.